Chief Fire Controlman Mike Gentry, of Sedalia, participated in an emergency medical training exercise aboard the Independence-variant littoral combat ship USS Tulsa (LCS 16) on Monday August 9, in the South China Sea.

According to the Navy, Tulsa, part of Destroyer Squadron Seven, is on a rotational deployment in the U.S. 7th Fleet area of operation to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force in support of a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

The Navy also says with more than 90 percent of all trade traveling by sea, and 95 percent of the world’s international phone and internet traffic carried through fiber-optic cables lying on the ocean floor, Navy officials continue to emphasize that the prosperity and security of the United States is directly linked to a strong and ready Navy.

(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Richard Cho)